Monthly Archives: April 2010
Does the length of a series matter?
Most of us counted out the Philadelphia Flyers before the playoffs started. They had struggled in the past few weeks because of injuries to goaltenders and Michael Leighton. No one trusted entering the playoffs but he has a 0.940 save percentage so far and is a big reason why the Flyers defeated the New Jersey Devils in 5. Does that make them a contender in the Eastern Conference?
Luongo playing with injured glove hand?
Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo may have injured his glove hand.
The apparent injury occurred during the second period of Game 3. Los Angeles Kings winger Ryan Smyth leaped in the air to avoid a shot. When he landed, the blade of his right skate came down flush on top of Luongo’s glove.
Reputation is all sewn up
Ian Laperriere had one question for Jim McCrossin when the Flyers’ trainer reached him at center ice:
“Can you see my eye?”
The small miracle of the Flyers’ becoming the first team to win a first-round series – after being the last team to squeak into the NHL playoff field – will have to take a backseat to the miracle that McCrossin’s answer was yes. Yes, Laperriere’s right eye was still there.
After first-round exit, are Devils due for changes?
“I need a nap.”
Jacques Lemaire, his ears all but bleeding from pounding his head against the wall, couldn’t take any more.
Not last night, after his wonderfully talented Devils, uninterested in his message, heedless of his words, exited the playoffs at the hands of the Flyers.
Bettman stands by call on disallowed goal
NHL commissioner also takes issue with conspiracy theory, saying it’s ‘both insulting and pure fantasy’
National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman said that his deputies made the correct call on Daniel Sedin’s disallowed goal in Game 3 of the Vancouver-Los Angeles series, and accused Canadian reporters of searching for conspiracies.
Thornton still an ordinary Joe in playoffs
So here we are, Joe, right back where we always seem to be at this time of year. It is the first round of the NHL playoffs. Your San Jose Sharks are in them. And that means you are in them too, even though it does not always look that way.
Sure, you appear to be working hard and back-checking well enough, and you are still making those soft, perfect little passes, just like you do during the regular season.
Time running out for Sens
A-train’s last game?
If the Senators lose Thursday night, it could be D Anton Volchenkov’s last game in an Ottawa uniform. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and turned down a five-year offer from GM Bryan Murray before the Olympic break.
Older, slower Jagr could still complement Hemsky
Q: What is your opinion of signing I think it would be good on several levels. The man can still play and he would be the face of the franchise, taking the pressure off Tyler Seguin if they draft him. He might also be the catalyst to get over the 80-point mark.
Leafs goalie chase coming to a Finnish
The Maple Leafs’ Finnish fishing expedition for 22-year-old goaltender Jussi Rynnas could end in a couple of days.
Agent Allain Roy says the 6-foot-5 free agent will choose an NHL destination in a day or so after a tour of cities in North America and two unscheduled visits from Toronto general manager Brian Burke. The GM chased Rynnas in Helsinki and Montreal to make a pitch.
Signs point to Price in Habs' net
The Canadiens will be counting on Carey Price to pull them even in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarter- final series against the Washington Capitals tonight at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., TSN, RDS, CJAD Radio-800).
While Canadiens head coach Jacques Martin said he would wait until this morning to name his starting goaltender, all the signs point to Price over .
Top 5 NHL Playoff Records
As NHL hockey fans, we all know that playoff hockey is a completely different game. While regular season hockey provides months of entertainment, the style of game played in the spring is unrivaled.
Long after the snow and ice have left the rivers and lakes of North America, men who grew up playing on those frozen ponds take to hockey’s biggest stage in their annual quest for the Stanley Cup.
Caps chase Halak, beat Canadiens
It might seem like a crazy overstatement to say a team with the possibility of tieing a series with a victory in Game 4 is done like a smoked meat sandwich at 3 a.m. (extra fat, please), but the rye bread and the Washington Capitals look like they’re squeezing the Montreal Canadiens.
Pass the napkins, please.
Oilers not about to purge roster
While many fans might want the Edmonton Oilers to get out the wrecking ball or a wheelbarrow full of dynamite and completely blow up the current roster, don’t count on it.
As disgruntled as you might be, you can’t knock it down all at once.